Mine Subsidence Likely To Blame For Lawrence Co. Road Collapses
NORTH BEAVER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Mine subsidence is likely to blame for recent road collapses in Lawrence County.
Betsy and Dennis Musser own a dairy business along Hope Road in North Beaver Township.
Betsy was feeding the calves Monday when one of her neighbors got her attention.
"The neighbor came through in the road and beeped the horn and I came out to see what they wanted and they had just come through it and it was sinking at the time they had gone through it," she said.
A 250-yard section of Hope Road had collapsed 15 feet, which encompassed 3 to 5 acres on both sides.
"You watch level ground one day and it's in a hole the next day, cracking and falling apart," Musser said.
It's the second road collapse in a week in North Beaver. Last Monday, part of nearby Route 108 collapsed along the eastern side of the farm.
As a result, the Mussers had subsidence in their field.
"We moved a fence to keep the [cows] from going in there so they didn't hurt themselves," Musser said. "We're watching something that's basically part of us and been part of this family for years slowly being destroyed."
Officials said limestone mining took place in the area until about 15 years ago, which could be the cause of the problem.
A township engineer will visit the collapse areas to assess the situation.
In the meantime, they hope to work with PennDOT to repair the roads.
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